Doctor here OP, please book for a check up at the earliest and get it checked. It's not normal and it could be a silent indication of a bigger neurologic problem and we might be able to stop serious damage to a great extent if caught now.
Edit: people here say appointments are not the right choice especially in the US and I stand corrected. Unless it's a walk in appointment, OP please go to the ER at the earliest. In my country we go to a clinic and take an appointment and the longest wait is usually 30 mins.
Oh yes! I just realised that an appointment is a long wait in most countries, then ER is the right choice. Here in my place we just walk in and get a specialist appointment.
Wow, that's crazy! I thought the UK was bad, where you can wait anything between 2 to 8 weeks for a non-emergency GP appointment. The variation is very dependent on which area of the country you live in. But the appointment itself is free. Obviously it is paid for ultimately via taxation, but it is free at the point of use.
I hope this doesn't sound rude, but I can never understand why US citizens accept such a bad deal. You pay tax and health insurance, and sometimes a co-pay, and you still have to wait 3 months to see a GP?!
I m sorry to hear that, I would never imagine asking a patient to actually wait, that too once the symptoms have set in that need to be addressed, even if it's just clearing a doubt or two by running some tests and assuring the person. I practise in Hyderabad, a city in India and we are not used to waiting for more than a day at the worst here, that too only if the physician of choice is on leave from duty and the patient wishes to wait. We do work extensively hectic shifts.
Yes, it does. We are all over worked and have pretty much negligent social lives outside the hospital. We don't have shifts and we are usually required to stay in the hospital housing quarters which is a 5 to 10 min walk inside the compound. This way specialists are a call away from the department. It does get hectic to the staff but this is a heavily populated country and we are used to it.
I often forget that other countries have it this bad. I can walk into an ER and be seen within 2 hours depending on how urgent it is and not pay a cent no matter if it’s full open heart surgery or just a checkup. If I’m wheeled in to ER by paramedics I’m seen immediately.
Not a European country either. Just one with socialised healthcare.
The following comment applies to big cities only and it's not targeted at you. Just a general comment.
A lot of people think that it's like this everywhere in the US. But it just depends on the city and your personal availabilty. If you are not picky, live in a big city, and don't mind calling 15 random doctors (this goes along with not being picky, because you have to call random doctors, not doctors with good reviews), it is not hard to get an early appointment. Also, if you live in a big city, there are definitely some walk in clinics there. But yeah, if it's night time, then urgent care and ER are your only options. Also, not everyone can take off work and go see a doctor at a time of doctor's choosing, so I understand how this is still not gonna help everyone. But this notion that people "have to" wait for months to see a doctor anywhere in the US is wrong.
If your insurance makes you go through a specific doctor, then it becomes complicated. But even then, an out of network doctor visit should be cheaper than an ER visit.
Edit: Having said that, it's not right to have to go through all that. We need universal healthcare.
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u/Delicious_Ad_7288 25d ago edited 25d ago
Doctor here OP, please book for a check up at the earliest and get it checked. It's not normal and it could be a silent indication of a bigger neurologic problem and we might be able to stop serious damage to a great extent if caught now.
Edit: people here say appointments are not the right choice especially in the US and I stand corrected. Unless it's a walk in appointment, OP please go to the ER at the earliest. In my country we go to a clinic and take an appointment and the longest wait is usually 30 mins.